Christian was deeply shocked. He instantly stood up and demanded, “What happened?”Charlie’s aunt Lulu, who was on the other end of the line, choked as she said, “The doctor said it’s a brain hemorrhage…”“Brain hemorrhage?” Christian parroted, anxious. “What exactly happened?”Lulu sobbed, “Dad’s mental state has been really bad recently… He’s unable to sleep during this period of time. He also seems to be feeling very miserable, and is in a very bad mood… He’s also very resistant to doctors, even as his body gets weaker and weaker…”“Just now… Dad went to the bathroom by himself and suddenly fainted. He fell into a coma right after. The doctor rushed over and claimed that it was a brain hemorrhage, and that it’s caused multiple organ failures. Dad’s in a deep coma now, and he only has one or two days left at most…”Christian grew more anxious and blurted out, “How could he suddenly have multiple organ failures?! What have so many of the doctors been doing?! Can’t they cure Dad?”
At the same time, Charlie, who was on the second floor, had an ugly expression. He heard the phone call between Christian and his youngest aunt, Lulu, and he knew that his grandfather’s life was hanging by a thread now.At this moment, he could not help but feel his heart tense up.He couldn’t understand how his grandfather who was so rich and was only in his seventies, could be dying so early.According to his youngest aunt’s description over the phone, his grandfather’s life was already hanging in the balance. Aside from Charlie’s medicine, no other medicine in this world would be able to treat him.In other words, his grandfather might not be able to overcome this hurdle if he didn’t help. In any case, the man was his mother’s father. Charlie also had a quarter of his blood running in his veins. Charlie couldn’t let his grandfather die without saving him, no matter how much prejudice he had against the latter.However, he was still not mentally prepared to meet with his gra
In fact, Charlie always had three kinds of pills on him; namely, the Healing Pill, the Rejuvenating Pill, and the Cultivating Pill.The reason why he asked Quinn to send a Healing Pill instead of a Rejuvenating Pill was because on one hand, he felt that since his uncle was kicked out of the Rejuvenating Pill auction, his identity would probably be exposed if Quinn brought them a Rejuvenating Pill. Another reason was Charlie still had some difficulty forgiving his grandfather. In his opinion, why should he use the Rejuvenating Pill if the efficacy of the Healing Pill was sufficient to save his grandfather?What’s more, his father suffered a lot of discrimination in the hands of Acker family. He was already repaying grievances with virtue simply by giving them the Healing Pill. There was no need for him to do anything more.Quinn was clueless about Charlie’s thoughts. She only knew that the situation was urgent, and that she should not be delaying any further.So, she said quickly,
He then stood up, grabbed a piece of tissue paper, and wiped his mouth before turning around and walking out.Janus was truly relieved when he saw Merline leaving and walking out the door.He wasn’t afraid of Merlin finding out his identity as an illegal immigrant, but of Merlin noticing that the latter had met him before and linking Homer’s disappearance to himself.Charlie and Quinn had been to his shop more than once so. If Janus got exposed, Merlin would be able to follow the trail and find Charlie.The case of Homer’s disappearance was not perfect. It wasn’t that Merlin could not find any clues, it was only that the clues were well hidden. If Merlin found out a clue and grabbed it, he’d be able to dig out the whole truth. Just as Janus pondered over this, he saw that Charlie and Quinn were also walking down. He stepped forward and said, “Young Master Wade, why did you come down? Inspector Lammy just left. I think he’s still not far away by now.”Charlie hurriedly said, “Unc
New York JFK Airport.Two private jets took off twenty minutes apart.Charlie’s uncle Christian was on the first plane that took off first. Quinn, who had a Healing Pill with her, was on the plane that took off later. Christian was also in a state of confusion at this time. He felt extremely nervous and distressed for his father. He had never thought about waiting for his father’s death, just so that they could divide the Acker family’s property. He also knew very well that his father was the core of the Acker family. The Acker family would be severely damaged if the man died at this time.Therefore, he really didn’t want his father to suffer such hardships. Compared to other families, the Acker family was relatively united. There was little to almost no conflict between the siblings. The main reason the Acker family could be so united was because of Ashley’s unexpected death. Ashley’s death didn’t only cause the Acker family to be in great sadness, but the Acker family
Everyone could put the interests of the Acker family first. Even if there were any disagreements, they could also be objective and democratic in their discussions.It was precisely because of this structure that Kaeden, Jaxson and Lulu had all put aside all of their businesses and rushed home when Lord Acker was suddenly critically ill. At the same time, they were all waiting for their elder brother Christian to come back home to preside over the emergency situation.Quinn, who was sitting on the plane at the same time, looked at the wax pill in the white plastic box in her hand. She was feeling extremely excited.Although she knew that she shouldn’t be feeling this way in this situation, she simply couldn’t control her own feelings. Charlie was actually asking her to go to his grandparents’ house and pose as his fiancée!To Quinn, this was Charlie’s recognition of her.Compared to the previous ambiguity, Charlie’s attitude this time was a big step forward in her opinion!What
Lulu took Christian with her as they rushed all the way to the Acker family’s medical center.This medical center was not only staffed with the top experts from various departments, but it was also equipped with multiple ICU intensive care units, delivery rooms, and operating rooms.The hardware facilities here were also fully capable of handling the world’s most complex organ transplant surgery. At this time, Keith, the head of the Acker family, was lying in the largest ICU ward in the medical center. His body was plugged with various equipment and tubes, and his entire face was covered with an oxygen mask. He was relying on the ventilator to barely maintain a faint breathing. His wife, who was also Charlie’s grandmother, was sitting next to him as she rubbed his right hand gently with both her hands. She was already in tears.Although there were several doctors on standby, there was nothing they could do.In their opinion, Keith’s life was coming to an end. It was just like
“This…” Christian stammered. “Mom… Things haven’t reached that point yet, so you shouldn’t be thinking about them.”The old lady shook her head, wiped away her tears, and said expressionlessly, “We’ve already tried all the methods that could be used, and we also tried the methods that normally can’t be used. I even invited Master Howton, who your father has always been disgusted with, to come over. I really don’t know what else to do…”Christian knew his father didn’t believe in religion in his life, let alone metaphysics. Regardless of whether it was Master Howton from Golden Taoism, or Old Master Lennard from the Book of Changes and the Eight Diagrams, they were all no different from charlatans to Keith.His mother would never invite Master Howton to their house if it wasn’t a last resort. Christian, who had been comforting his younger siblings and mother, felt even more desperate.He feared his father really wouldn’t be able to survive this time.…At the same time…In mid-
Zachary was instantly relieved to hear that Jacob's flight was taking off soon.The issue at hand was troublesome, but he would at least have time to come up with a plan if he was given more time.Moreover, Jacob didn't know anything and would be in Dubai in a few hours. Most importantly, he wouldn't be bothered with Aurous Hill gossip when he arrived, giving Zachary more time to deal with this mess.As such, Zachary quickly said, "Oh, nothing, Mr. President. I was just calling to check on your flight, but since you're flying now, I'm sure the air stewardess will be asking you to turn the flight mode on. I shan't be a bother now—I wish you safe travels with the missus!" Seeing how cordial Zachary was, Jacob chuckled, "How nice of you. I'll definitely get you some local souvenirs!""Oh, then allow me to thank you ahead of time, Mr. President!" Zachary exclaimed, as subservient as ever."Uh-huh," Jacob replied. "Well, I'm hanging up now. Let's catch up later.""Yes, yes, yes, let
Mr. Cardensky's forgery syndicate had made the bronze sculpture—all Zachary had done was talk Jacob into buying it, and Jacob himself had made some money after Raymond bought it.That meant the entire plot had nothing to do with Zachary as he was just a mediator at best.In other words, if the bronze sculpture was worth nothing, he didn't lose anything… although he wouldn't make a cent even if it was worth a hundred million.However, he also knew all too well what Jacob Wilson was like.In fact, in this world, he was only second to Charlie when it came to knowing what type of man Jacob Wilson really was—not even Claire or Elaine would win against them.He was a dead man.That was Zachary's immediate thought on the matter, should Jacob ever find out.After all, Jacob was precisely one of those people who didn't play by any rules—no buyer's regret? No seller's remorse? None of that applied to him.Not even the Gods could make Jacob offer a refund if he scalped them. And vice vers
As Mick Crane had established a corrupted hierarchy in Vintage Deluxe, he had to make sure his position was never threatened by Raymond Cole.That was why he wanted Raymond gone, and it was obvious from that how important self-gain was to him.However, though he plotted to protect this job with a salary of several hundred grand per annum and incentives worth just as much, he didn't think that doing so meant he had missed out on 20 million.And to add insult to injury, that 20 million had ended up in Raymond's pocket.Mick wasn't just thunderstruck—he wished he was dead.Hanging up on Trippy right then, he called Zachary directly since Zachary had told him earlier that text notifications from his number would be silenced.Zachary was just about to fall asleep when his phone began buzzing.Already annoyed when he picked up his phone, he immediately snapped at Mick when he saw who the caller was. "I told you! Text me if you have any updates, and I'll check it when I wake up! Why ar
As Ian Cash's trio turned and left Treasure Measure, Trippy was still standing there, staring blankly as they headed off to the distance, utterly dispirited.Seeing that, Raymond returned his phone and said coolly, "We had agreed on some ground rules, but not only did you break them, you even tried to sabotage me.""Since you refuse to be honorable, you can't blame me for being cold—starting now, we shall have nothing to do with each other. We'll be strangers even if we bump into each other."Trippy was already choking, and he snatched his phone back before dashing out of Treasure Measure, calling Mick Crane as soon as he left.Mick had just arrived at Vintage Deluxe and hadn't even sat down when Trippy called, and he asked as soon as he answered, "How did it go? What did you find out?"However, Trippy was so exasperated he burst into tears right then, "M-Mr. Crane… My dear Mr. Crane…"Mick was left reeling from shock, and he promptly snapped, "Can't you fucking talk? Why are you
Seeing that the transaction was complete and that the bargain deal had been taken, the other collectors all excused themselves and left.As for Ian, once he had bagged the bronze sculpture, he nodded at Raymond. "I apologize for leaving early, Mr. Cole, but I must return to Eastcliff. However, you can contact me again should you pick up another treasure. I'm quite a spendthrift, and I pay up right away if the item is good and the price is right."Raymond smiled. "Very well. I shall contact you first the next time I get something good."Ian nodded and was ready to leave with his two friends when Trippy chased after them."Please, Mr. Cash!" He cried urgently, his anxiety overcoming him. "You shouldn't buy that! It's a forgery!"Ian frowned at him. "Are you trying to sabotage Mr. Cole? Aren't you supposed to be his friend?""Hell, no!" Trippy promptly replied. "I'm no friend of his—I'm just here to watch, but I didn't think he dared to trick you for 20 million! I can't bear to see
No one except Raymond expected that the terms would be agreed upon so quickly.He was utterly confident in his judgment and even more so in his value appraisal.He was convinced that once they had a good look, any one of these collectors who could afford twenty million wouldn't miss this bargain.After all, an opportunity to secure an item worth millions more than the price they paid was very rare.In fact, when the other nine collectors heard that the first collector was buying it, it was only to be expected even if it left them all gloomy. They had all held the bronze sculpture in their hands—they knew it was definitely worth that much.However, no one in the room was more shocked than Trippy.He looked utterly flabbergasted, his eyes wide and bulging as he stared at the bronze sculpture while asking himself the same question repeatedly.Was that crap really worth twenty million? How?!While Trippy was still stunned, Raymond had already sent his payment details to the first
Unable to nitpick on the air stewardess' response, Elaine pouted, "Well, try to ask management to improve on your first-class cabins anyway. Maybe even make a premium-class or something since it's not like we can't afford it."The air stewardess quickly said, "We will definitely relay your message to the management."Nodding in satisfaction, Elaine waved her off. "Alright. You can go back to work now."Clearly relieved, the air stewardess bowed her head respectfully. "Always happy to be of service."After the air stewardess left, Jacob asked Elaine in curiosity, "Was the private jet that good?"Elaine rolled her eyes. "Didn't you see the stuff I posted in the chat group?""Not really," Jacob blurted. Elaine was ready to snap at him for not caring, but considering that they had made up now and she shouldn't fuss too much over the little things, she snorted, "Just remember to like and comment on all my posts in the chat group, otherwise, I will make you regret it!""No problem!"
While the ten collectors were taking turns studying the bronze sculpture, Jacob and Elaine were boarding their flight.As they were flying first-class, they had priority over the other passengers and boarded from the separate plug door at the first-class section.The capacity of the Boeing 777 was huge, and the wide-body aircraft could be connected to a special double corridor bridge where first class and business class passengers boarded separately from the economy class passengers.As the terminals to economy class and business class were connected, Elaine and Jacob were able to get through the first-class terminal unimpeded, but the passengers in economy class had a queue of over two hundred passengers. Even as she walked, Elaine was looking over her shoulder and exclaiming at Jacob, "Must be nice being rich! We used to have to queue like the rest of them, waiting for over thirty minutes just to board our flight." "In first class, we may be in the same plane, but we don't hav
Meanwhile, once Raymond had briefed everyone about the rules, he opened the door and invited everyone into Treasure Measure.It was not that wide but appeared spacious since the interior was mostly empty—it was not really crowded even with thirty-ish people.Then, locking the door from the inside, Raymond told them, "I can tell from everyone's faces that we are all veterans here, so I'm sure you understand the rules while appraising: no photos or videos, thank you very much."Indeed, there were many rules that governed the hobby, the most important being respecting the seller's requests and privacy.As the collectors listened, they knew that Raymond was selling but did not want the public to know too much about him.They all nodded, and those who had their phones out slid them back into their pockets.With that, Raymond took out the bronze sculpture that he had brought, leaving Trippy a little surprised.He had never seen the bronze sculpture with his own eyes before, only from